Linotype-machine.



J. R. ROGERS.

LINOTYPB MACHINE. 'APPLIOAITION FILED NOV. 9, 1908.

Patented Jan 4,1910.

WIT NE 885 8:.

cameos.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A JOHN R. ROGERS, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MERGENTHALER-LINOTYPE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LINOTYPE-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 9, 1908. Serial No. 461,780.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. Roonns, of the borough of Brooklyn, count-yof Kings, and State of New York, have invented a.

new and useful Improvement in Linotypecasting machines in whichcirculating mat-v rices, representing various characters, are

released one at a time from avmagazine by finger-keys, assembled. injustified ines and presented to a mold for the purpose of forming typecharacters on a slug or printing bar cast therein, as illustrated forexample in Letters Patent of the United States It has'special referenceto those machines in which the matrices are'each provided at differentheights with two independent characters, the machine being providedwithdey vices through which each matrix may be assembled in the line at oneheight or another, in order to present one character or the other at thealining level. Devices for thus dotermining the height of the matricesas they are assembled in the line are already known in the art. Whilethey permit an entire line or a number of adjoining matrices in the lineto be set at either level required without material loss of time, theyare not well adapted to secure the speedy-setting of single matrices atthe higher level" i The object of the present invention is-to provide acomposing mechanism in which devices for controlling the elevation ofthe incoming matrices may be set instantly to cause the elevation ofindividual matrices,

and instantly and automatically restored to very frequent introductioninto the line of sin gle characters located in abnormal positions.

The mechanism heretofore in use requires the switch or shift device tobe moved in Patented Jan. 4, 1e10,,

one direction in order to bring an abnormal:

character into line, and also demands-that the switch be returned by adistinct action of the operator to its normal position. The i repetitionof these operations at short inter-.

vals involves a great loss of time; also a re duction in the speed ofcomposition, and frequent errors in composition due tofailure to movethe switch the full distance required. These difficulties are whollyovercome by my improved mechanism, in which the switch may be moved tothe abnormal position by the pressure of one finger at practically thesame instant that the character is delivere'l. to the action of a key byanother finger, the switch being instantly and automaticallyrestored tothe are released.

normal position when thekeys In the accompanying drawing I have shown myimprovement applied to an assembling elevator ofthe form shown inLetters Patent of the United States to Homans, #825,05 l of July 3,1906, but it will be u.nderstood that it may be embodied in variousequivalent forms; The drawings are limited to the assembling'elevatorand those parts immediately associated in their action with myimprovement. All other parts of the machine may' boot the constructionshown in Patent #436,532, and used in the commercial Mergenthalermachines known "under the trade mark Linotype? Figure l is a perspectiveView of the assembling elevator and attendant parts provided with myimprovement, the parts being in theirnormal positions. Fig. 2 is aperspective View of the assembler with -a composed line therein and withthe stop device in position to arrest the last matrix at an upper level.Fig. 3 is a perspective view on a larger scale, showing more clearly theaction of the stop device for arresting a matrix at the upper'level.Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the stop device in itsretracted position, permitting a matrix' to descend to the lower level.Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the stopdevice moves the end matrix, toward the left after arresting it.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the so -called assemblingelevator of a Mergenthaler machine, having in its top a hori-v zonta'lchannel to receive and support the matrices B, which are deliveredsuccessively thereto.

C is the so-called star-wheel revolving on a horizontal axis and servingto carry the matrices, which descend before it, forward horizontally oneafter another against the end of the line.

The assembling elevator A is mounted to slide vertically and isconnected by a link D to one end of a crank-arm E secured to arock-shaft F mounted in the main-frame and provided with an operatinghandle G, by which it is turned to lift the elevator A, in order toraise the composed line bodily from the level at which it was composedto the level of the devices by which it is transferred toward thecasting mechanism.

So far as described, the parts are all constructed and arranged tooperate in the ordinary manner, and are familiar to all persons skilledin the art.

Each of the matrices B is provided, as shown in Fig. 5, with twoindependent characters Z; and Z), which usually difi'er in form or size.When the matrices meet with I no obstruction, they are delivered intothe assembler as usual, and are supported by a horizontal shoulder a, bywhich they are held at a common level, this being their lowermostposition and-one which will cause their upper characters 5 to come intoaction at the mold. s

For the purpose of supporting the entire line of matrices, or anydesired number of matrices in the line, at a higher level in order thattheir lower characters I) may come into action, a horizontal blade H ismounted in the assembler in such manner as to move endwise toward andfrom the star-wheel C, so that the incoming matrices will be caused toride on top the blade and receive support therefrom. In the Homans.patent above referred to, this blade is moved endwise by means of ahandle thereon, and is arranged to remain in the position in whichit isplaced. After being set in position to sustain the incoming matrices atthe upper level, it is necessary that it should be withdrawn by hand topermit the following languages, it is usual to set most of the matricesat the low level and to set single matrices to descend to the lower ornormal level.

In the compositionpf matter in Certain matrices at short intervals atthe higher level. This could not be readily done with the old device.

In applying my improvement, I provide the forward end of the slide H,next to the star-wheel and to the incoming matrices,

' with a thin upri ht lip h, in such position that when the s ide' ismoved toward the star-wheel to its extreme position, shown in Figs. 2and 3, the incoming matrices will be thrown by the. star-wheel over thislip assess and will rest to the left of the same on the blade H, asclearly shown in Fig. 8. For the purpose of automatically and instantlyretracting the blade after it has been moved forward, I extend a springI therefrom to a pin on theelevator, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. For thepurpose of moving the blade forward against the stress of this spring toan active position, I connect to the blade an angular lever K, pivotedat to the elevator A, and connected by a link L with a lever M, which isin turn connected to a finger-key lever N located, as shown, at a pointremote from the assembler and adjachine.

' When the forward end of the lever N is depressed, it causes the bladeH, with its lip h, to move forward to an operative position, and whenthe lever is released, the spring I returns the parts to their originalpositions, the blade being retracted, as shown in Fig. 4', so that thematrices may descend past its end to the lower level. When the blade ismoved forward, as described, it arrests the next incoming matrix, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, and when it is released, its lip it retains itshold on the lower end of the elevated matrix and moves the same to theleft, in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 5, against the end of thecomposed line. This not only prevents the possibility of the elevatedmatrix slipping downward past the end of the slide, but it also insuresan unobstructed space for the descent of the next matrix ast the slide.The slide-actuating levers and N are pivoted at intermediate points intheir length to the lever E, by which the lever is raised. Under thisarrangement, the slide-actuating devices are caused to rise and fallwith the elevator, so that their connections are not disturbed.

for arresting and sustaining a matrix at an upper level, and means forholding the matrix upon the sustaining devices. I believe it also to bewholly new to provide means for arresting the matrix at an upper levelin combination with a secondary means; that is to say, means other thanthe starwheel or pusher, for carrying the matrix laterally toward theend of the line while in the elevated position. I believe it also to bewholly new to combine with a movable device for arresting the incomingmatrices at a higher level than their companions, spring conneetionstending to move the arresting means to an inactive position so that thearresting device is automatically and instantly restored to the normalposition, in order that composition may proceed without requiring anyspecial action on the part of the operator. I believe it also to bewholly new to combine with the cent to the ordinary keyboard of the ma--I I believe it to be wholly new to provide, in a mechanism of thepresent class, means rising and falling elevator, adjustable meansfected without materially affecting the speed for arresting the matricesat an upper level therein, and the finger-key connection by .which thearresting device may be thrown into action at will.

The skilled mechanic willunderstand that the parts may be widelymodified in form and arrangement without essentially changing their modeof action.

It will be observed that the finger-key for adjusting the blade islocated adjacent to the keyboard of the machine so that whenit isrequired to set a matrix atthe upper level, it is only necessary for theoperator to depress with one hand the key for adjusting the blade andimmediately following the key which designates the character. On releaseof the keys, the parts resume their normal position, and composition mayproceed without loss of time.

While I prefer, for the purposes hereinbefore stated, to employ the lip71, it is to be understood that the finger-key connections for adjustingthe blade are of decidedimportance in the absence of the lip, to admitof the blade being adjusted for its old or ordinary functions morequickly and conveniently than when operated directly by hand, as in theoriginal patent #825,054.

Devices for arresting matrices at an abnormal level are known in the artin various forms. It is to be understood that my improved actuatingmeans may be combinedwith any of such devices.

It will be observed that the lip h is a secondary device for moving thelast matrix in the line laterally to the left, or toward the line. Ibelieve the present to be the first instance in which any secondarydevice for this purpose has been used in addition to the star wheel orother primary device for. carrying the matrices against the end of theline. \Vhile I prefer to attach the lip 71 to the slide II, it is to beunderstood that it may be independently mounted, and operated in anymanner which will give it the mode of action and secure the resultherein described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patcut,

1. In a. mechanism for composing twoletter matrices. means forassembling the matrices in line at one level. means for arresting theindividual matrices at a higher level in the line, a fingerkey, aconnection forthrowing the arresting device into action, and springconnections adapted to instantly and automatically restore the arrestingde vice to its normal position when released; whereby the location ofindividual matrices in abnormal positions in the line v be cf:

of composition. a

2. In combination with the assembling elgvator A, the slide H to arrestand sustain the incoming matrices, a spring tending to move the slide inone direction, and fingerkey connections for moving the same in theopposite direction; whereby the sustaining device is automaticallyrestored to its normal position when released, so that loss of time andaccidental displacement of matrices is prevented.

3. In-combination with an assembler to receive the matrices and meansfor delivering the matrices successively thereto, a blade, H, providedwith a lip, h, and movable longitudinally toward and from the point atwhich the matrices enter; whereby the incoming matrices may be directedto an upper or lower level in the line,-and the elevated matricesprevented from escaping and passing to the lower level.

at. In a linotype machine, in combination with; the assembling elevator,a movable blade therein to, supportmatrices above the normal level,means for lifting the elevator, and finger-key connections carried bysaid lifting means and acting to move the blade.

5. In combination with the assembling elevator mounted to rise and fall,the crankarm for lifting the same, the movable blade in the elevator,thefinger-key mounted on the lifting arm, and connections from said keyto the blade.

6. In a matrix assembling mechanism, including the star wheel andmeansfor arresting the matrices above their. normal level, a secondary meansfor moving each arrested matrix laterally toward the line.

7. In a matrix assembling mechanism, and in addition to the ordinarymeans for assembling the matrices in line, a secondary means for movingthe incoming matrices in (lividually toward the line and beyond the pathof the following matrices.

S. In a matrix assembling mechanism. means for assembling matrices at anormal level, means for supporting the matrices at will at an abnormallevel, including a laterally movable lip to engage the lower end of thematrices at the upper level, a manual device for moving the last namedmeans in one direction, and a spring for returning the same whenreleased. 1

In testimony whereof I hereun-toset my hand this second day of November,1909.. in the presence of two attesting Witnesses.

JOHN R. ROGERS.

.Witnesses I). S. KENNEDY,- Lucy E. SMITH;

